Mourning Ukraine come to Dublin; McDowell ‘proud’ of LIV involvement

‘Soldiers watch our games in trenches.’ A pretty stark reality that puts Ireland’s biggest issue of losing to Armenia into sharp perspective. There will clearly be a warm reception for the Ukrainian team as they square off against Stephen Kenny’s Republic of Ireland tonight at the Aviva Stadium. It really is an incredible situation the Ukrainian players find themselves in; Russian soldiers are 50 kilometres from Serhiy Sydorchuk’s family in Zaporizhzhia yet the Dynamo Kyiv midfielder emphasises the importance of playing for Ukraine against Ireland in the Nations League. What’s more, the national side is in mourning on the pitch as well after a recent defeat to Wales put an end to their World Cup hopes. Robert O’Connor looks at why it was politically important for Ukraine to reach Qatar: “The Wales game was the biggest in the history of our country. We needed to be at the World Cup for more than football reasons. It was about politics. We needed to stay in the news.”

For all the talk of Munster’s record under Johann van Graan, one thing that has become apparent of late is that their inability to maintain a level of performance shows a squad pulling in different directions. Gordon D’Arcy suggests that players might be trying to play in a way that they have not fully bought into and instead trying to muddle through as best they can. What this means is that, as much as trophies are a clear priority for Graham Rowntree’s new coaching ticket, the most important thing is actually to focus on performance and getting player buy-in for a clear game plan. Success will follow after that. Elsewhere, Bulls and former Ulster number eight Marcell Coetzee has been speaking in the build-up to his side’s semi-final against Leinster. The South African outfit is a much improved side since their 31-3 drubbing in Dublin earlier this year.

“The days after you surrender your All-Ireland title have an added little cut in them. You’re the same people as you were before but something has changed.” Darragh Ó Sé has some sympathy for Tyrone after their qualifier exit to Armagh, especially since things went sour so quickly. Tyrone looked good in beating Kerry back towards the end of the league campaign yet come the beginning of June their All-Ireland hopes have been quickly dashed. Speaking of Kerry, Tommy Walsh has been talking about the process of adjusting to his new life after calling time on his intercounty career last year.

The golf world is still reeling in shock after a number of high profile players confirmed their absences from the PGA Tour and jumped ship to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series. Sergio Garcia and Dustin Johnson were two of the more high profile ones - the latter is hopeful that there is a rethink that allows him to still play in the Ryder Cup despite rules clearly stating otherwise. In terms of Irish interest, Graeme McDowell courted controversy yesterday when suggesting that he would be “proud” of his involvement: “We’re not politicians. I know you guys hate that expression. But, you know, if Saudi Arabia wanted to use the game of golf as a way for them to get to where they want to be, and they have the resources to accelerate that experience, I think we are proud to help them on that journey.”